Friday, February 16, 2018

Music is
all about listening, but the quality of the medium providing those sounds can
vary greatly. That’s why high-resolution audio (a.k.a., Hi-Res Audio) is
gaining attention. The idea is to have a sampling rate that is significant
higher than a CD, and so more closely mimic the sound of analog records
(wherein the digital process hasn’t stripped out the “feeling” playing vinyl
gives). This also means hearing more of the original recording and so it
becomes more believable.

Hi-
Res Audio typically uses 96kHz or higher which spans the frequencies that the
human ear can hear as well as that outside of a person’s hearing range. It just
sounds better, might be the best way to put it, as compared to the “compressed”
audio so prevalent today.

But
in order to hear Hi-Res Audio, the device playing the digital file must be
compatible with it. That requires specialized electronics — you can’t just play
Hi-Res Audio files in any MP3 player or mobile device. And one of the best ways
to hear high-resolution audio is when watching a movie — because 4K discs have
the capacity to hold the larger digital files that make up the soundtrack to films
on disc. Sony’s UBPX800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player is a good example of playing
higher resolution audio, not to mention giving you a higher resolution (4K)
picture than previously was available at home.

High-resolution
audio returns the sounds of reality to our hearing and makes every sound more
vibrant and true to life. That’s good.